The invention is generally related to computers and computer software. More specifically, the invention is generally related to a scroll bar user interface control used in a graphical user interface computer environment.
Many computers use graphical user interfaces (GUI""s) to permit user interaction with information stored in such computers. In a GUI environment, users are typically able to interact with a computer through intuitive operations such as xe2x80x9cpointing and clickingxe2x80x9d on various graphical display elements displayed on a computer display with a graphical pointer controlled by a mouse or other user interface device.
One common type of display element used in GUI environments is a window display element, or window. A window typically includes a rectangular frame with a display region defined within the frame to display content information associated with the window. For example, windows are typically used by computer programs known as web browsers to display content information downloaded from the Internet.
Often the display region of a window is not capable of displaying all of the content information associated with the window, so a user interface control such as a scroll bar is utilized to permit a user to xe2x80x9cscrollxe2x80x9d the window to view different portions of the content information.
A scroll bar typically permits a user to scroll in a predetermined direction (e.g., vertically or horizontally) through manipulation of various controls on the scroll bar. For example, many scroll bars include an elongated background or scroll region that represents the overall size of the document. A puck or slider is anchored on the scroll region at the relative position of the portion of the content information that is displayed in the window. The puck may be a fixed size, or may have a variable size along the length of the scroll region to represent the relative size of the portion of the content information displayed in the window. By depressing a mouse button while the pointer is disposed over the puck, and then moving the pointer along the length of the scroll region while the mouse button is depressed, a user is typically permitted to scroll through the document (an operation known as xe2x80x9cdraggingxe2x80x9d the puck).
A scroll bar may also include a pair of arrow buttons disposed at each end of the scroll region to permit incremental (e.g., line-by-line) scrolling through the window content information. Moreover, some scroll bars additionally permit a user to scroll in larger increments (e.g., screen-by-screen or page-by-page) by pointing and clicking directly on the scroll region.
Windows often assist in managing the amount of visible information displayed on the limited display area provided on a computer display. To maximize the amount of information displayed by a window, however, it is often desirable to maximize the relative size of the display region of the window relative to other components displayed in the window, including for example the frame and any scroll bar, as well as various title bars, tool bars, menu bars, status bars, etc. Moreover, particularly for commercial information such as information downloaded from the Internet, one or more advertisements may be displayed alongside information requested by a user, whether in the display region of the window or in a component such as a title or status bar, or in a separate window. Regardless of how such advertisements are displayed, however, the advertisements occupy space on the computer display that could otherwise be used to displayed the information requested by the user.
Any material displayed in a window, other than the information specifically requested or desired by a user, can limit the user""s productivity and efficiency, particularly whenever a user is required to scroll more frequently to view the information. As such, a significant need continues to exist for a manner of more efficiently utilizing the available space on a computer display.
One specific area where space is often utilized inefficiently is within a scroll bar, and specifically on the scroll region and puck. In some conventional scroll bar designs, additional display elements and controls may also be displayed on a scroll bar, e.g., to indicate the relative locations of certain points in the content information of a window, or to indicate the amount of time spent viewing certain locations in the window content information, among others. Also, in some designs pucks are provided with various icons, e.g., to represent a third scrolling dimension.
In general, however, the additional display elements displayed on conventional scroll bar designs have been limited to either controls for scrolling to, or indicators for indicating the relative location of, certain content information in a window. Put another way, all display elements displayed on conventional scroll bars have tended to be associated in some way with facilitating the usage of the scroll bar.
Even when such additional display elements are displayed on a scroll bar, however, a substantial amount of display area still tends to go unused on the scroll bar. Given the continuing need for more efficient usage of space on a computer display, it would be highly desirable to be able to utilize such unused areas on a scroll bar in a more productive manner.
The invention addresses these and other problems associated with the prior art by providing an apparatus, program product and method in which an advertisement is displayed on at least a portion of a scroll bar. As such, in many instances, advertising messages may be conveyed to a user with minimal (if any) impact on the available space on a computer display, which has the further beneficial effect of limiting any negative impacts on user productivity.
These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described exemplary embodiments of the invention.